


Heart of Stone

by yerawizardjane



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/F, M/M, fairy tale, mushy but angsty, statue, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-30
Updated: 2013-10-15
Packaged: 2017-12-21 21:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/905164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yerawizardjane/pseuds/yerawizardjane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles tells Scott a Beacon Hills legend, where a boy who can't take the pain of a lost love is turned into a statue to await the reincarnation of his love.<br/>I got the idea whilst driving past a garden centre which is near where I live. There's a running joke in my family that, when I become rich/famous, I'll buy this enormous statue of a knight on a horse. That inspired me to think of statue Derek and...well it all went from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fairy tales and Broken Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Candles_93](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candles_93/gifts).



Dude, I’m bored,” Scott McCall was lying on Stiles’ bed with his feet resting on the wall next to it. He glanced towards Stiles, “I can’t believe you’re actually doing your homework.”  
“It’s not homework,” Stiles muttered irritably, flicking through the pages of the old, dusty book he was holding, “It’s…personal research.”  
“Werewolf related?” Scott surveyed his best friend, an interested expression playing across his features.  
“Believe it or not, Scott, not everything I do is about you.”  
Scott rolled his eyes and moved himself back to an upwards position, “What is it then? And where’d you get the book?”  
“It was-” Stiles swallowed loudly, “It was my Mom’s. She used to read it to me before I went to sleep. My Dad found it when he was cleaning out the loft yesterday.”  
“Which story?” Scott began to look interested again, “Would I know it?”  
“It’s a local legend actually. You know the statue of the guy that’s about our age? In Beacon Hills Cemetery?”  
Scott nodded.  
“It’s the story of how he became a statue. I used to love it as a kid.”  
Scott threw himself back onto the bed, “I’m all ears. Which is something considering my supernatural hearing.”  
Stiles smirked, “You want me to read you a bedtime story?”  
“It’s past ten, practically my bedtime anyway,” Scott returned his best friend’s smirk, “I’m also pretty intrigued. That guy is HOT.”  
Stiles rolled his eyes, “Fine.”  
______  
 _Once upon a time, there lived a young man named Derek Hale. He was the eldest son of the Hales, a wealthy family who lived in California at the end of the nineteenth century. The Hales were respected and admired by the town of Beacon Hills, where they lived in a huge mansion with many servants._  
 _However, life was not perfect for Derek. He was constantly isolated, and expected to marry a girl of high ranking in order to continue the family’s vast fortune. He was also expected to take over his father’s oil drilling business and preserve the family’s corporate reputation. Derek had always been more of an outdoor person, living for the woods that surrounded the family’s mansion and the wildlife inside._  
 _It was while he was out walking in the woods one day when he met a woodcutter’s daughter and fell instantly in love with her. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes that seemed to change colour depending on the light. Her name was Scarlett and she was the most beautiful girl Derek had ever seen. They continued to meet in the woods in secret, as Derek knew she would be killed if his family ever found out about their love._  
 _One day, as he was walking to their secret meeting place, he heard a gunshot from the direction of their clearing. He ran as fast as he could towards it but he was too late. Lying in the clearing was Scarlett with blood as red as her namesake blossoming from a hole in her chest. Derek fell to his knees next to her, cradling her and screaming at the sky, vowing to take revenge on whoever had killed his love._  
 _He did not have long to mourn, however, as he was suddenly pulled away from the dead girl and carried back to the Hale mansion by two of his father’s henchmen. They pushed him roughly towards the cellar and threw him onto the cold, stone floor. There he was left for three days and nights until his father finally pulled open the door. Derek was sitting in the same position he had been when he was thrown into the cellar, consumed by grief and numb from any physical pain his father could bestow upon him. The look he gave his father as his eyes adjusted to the light was one that would haunt his father for many years to come._  
 _As punishment for almost ruining his family’s reputation, Derek Hale was banished into the woods and left to fend for himself. He went deeper into the trees than any human had done before, becoming more animal than human as the weeks went by, and never forgetting Scarlett. Eventually, he came to a small, stone house in a small clearing. It appeared to be empty so Derek, who was desperately hungry, broke in and began eating and drinking everything in sight._  
 _Suddenly, the door banged open and in came three witches, all three of them the ugliest hags Derek had ever seen. They immediately shot a spell at him, which tied him to one of the beams of the house. Whilst they were arguing about what to do with him, Derek pleaded with them to kill him, as he no longer had anything to live for now that his love was lost._  
 _The witches were furious at the idea that Derek had experienced true love, and punished him by torturing him using hot pokers and other horrible devices. They refused to kill him, saying that he should suffer as they had done for the many years they had been alive._  
 _All at once, a bright light filled the stone house and the witches cried out in agony as the purity of the light burnt their skin. Soon, there were only piles of ash where the witches were stood, and Derek’s bindings were gone. He looked up to see a beautiful woman with long, flowing, red hair standing over him, a kind expression on her face._  
 _“Boy, why do you cry?” Said she, placing a hand on his face._  
 _Derek shook his head, unable to speak of the horror he had faced. The woman seemed to understand and she stood up, smoothing down her red dress._  
 _“I know of the unhappiness that has befallen you, and though I know what you would have me do, I’m afraid I cannot take an innocent life such as yours.”_  
 _“Is there anything you can do?” Asked he, rubbing his eyes, “I do not know if I can survive another day on this earth without my love.”_  
 _“I can cast a spell on you which will turn you into stone. You will feel nothing until your true love returns and kisses you on your lips. But be warned, it could be hundreds of years before they appear back on this earth. Is that what you want?”_  
 _Derek nodded and followed her outside. She kissed his forehead and instructed him to stand perfectly still before wishing him luck and casting the spell. A soft blue light glowed, momentarily blocking Derek from the good witch’s view, and when it faded, he had been turned into stone. The witch sighed heavily, unhappy at the prospect of leaving the boy looking so vulnerable in the woods. She cast a protective spell over the statue to ensure his safety until Derek turned into a human again and then left, in another blue glow. She knew she would not look upon his face again until the twenty-first century._


	2. First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos, wasn't expecting this kind of response, you guys have made my week! This is the moment you've been waiting for...so I hope it lives up to your expectations! :)

When Stiles had finished the story, he looked up to see Scott staring at him from the edge of his bed, “Dude, that was awesome!”  
Stiles offered his friend a small smile, trying to push away the painful memories that the story had brought up, “I know. My Mom always said she believed it, that the statue was real. She might just have been saying it because, you know, I was six and it was what I wanted to hear. But I’ve done some research on the statue, and it turns out it definitely originates from the end of the nineteenth century and, if you look closely, you can see the scars on his –its- arms where the witches tortured him with hot pokers. Also, experts have said it’s in amazing condition considering its age. Almost like the protection spell the good witch put on him actually worked.” He shrugged, “I don’t know, with everything that’s happened recently, is it so weird that there were once witches roaming the world?”  
Scott looked to be in deep thought, considering Stiles’ words, “Dude, we’ve got to go and see it.”  
“Now? It’s like eleven.”  
“Aw, come on. We’ll take flashlights and stuff. I want to see the scar marks.”  
Stiles knew there was no dissuading Scott, he had that determined look in his eyes that had got them both into trouble numerous times when they were both younger. And was still getting them into trouble, come to think of it.  
“Fine.”  
_____  
Stiles parked his jeep as close as he could to the cemetery gates and the two of them hopped out of the vehicle, gazing up at the huge stone arch that led inside. Scott jumped over the iron fence with ease, leaving Stiles to clamber over on his own. They both headed to the north side of the cemetery, only making occasional comments, and only then in whispers.  
“Didn’t your boyfriend used to dig graves here?”  
“Dude, how do you think I have such a good knowledge of this place? Me and Isaac always come here at night to-”  
“You know, I’m really not in the mood for an explicit description of your make out sessions with your boyfriend right now.”  
They carried on for another ten minutes before Scott spoke again.  
“So, are you gonna try and kiss it?”  
“Kiss what?” Stiles was squinting ahead, trying to glimpse the remote corner of the graveyard where the statue was stood.  
“The statue, duh. Derek Hale? AKA nineteenth century hottie.”  
“Scott, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m-”  
“Straight, yeah I know. But you fall in love with the person, not the gender, right?”  
“Right, yeah okay. And no, I’m not going to kiss him…it.”  
“Why not? What have you got to lose?” Scott was practically hanging off his arm now, staring at him with his stupid werewolf night time visibility powers.  
“How about my dignity?”  
“I’m not going to tell anyone, dude.” Stiles didn’t doubt the sincere look on his best friend’s face, “Hey, there it is!” Scott bounded forward, reminding Stiles, not for the first time, of an overexcited puppy.  
Scott was already standing in front of the statue, studying it as Stiles staggered up, holding a stitch on his side, “Dude, you need to be more considerate of my weak, mortal abilities.”  
“Yeah, whatever. You were right.”  
“About what?” Stiles gasped, still clutching his side.  
“The marks,” Scott shone his flashlight on the statue’s arms, “It really does look like someone branded him with something hot. And it’s in perfect condition, the statue I mean.”  
“Dude, I know. I have been here before, you know.”  
“Have you ever kissed him?” Scott shone the flashlight at Stiles now, his lips curling into a smirk.  
“Nope. He fell in love with a girl, not a guy. I really doubt he’d respond to anything my lips have to offer.”  
“Hey, it’s the twenty-first century, just like the story said. Maybe his true love was reincarnated into a guy.”  
Stiles rolled his eyes, “You’re not going to let me leave until I kiss the stupid statue, are you?”  
Scott shook his head, letting a hint of puppy-dog eyes come into play, “Nope. And it’s freaking freezing out here, so hurry up.”  
“Jeez, okay. Okay! Don’t stand so close though, go over there.” Stiles watched as Scott stepped into the place he had indicated and then turned to face the statue.  
He was, Stiles had to admit, a good looking guy. Whether it was THE Derek Hale or not. Stiles had never noticed how sad his expression was before, or how brightly the scars on his arms shone in the starlight. For the millionth time, Stiles wondered if he was one of Laura Hale’s ancestors, and what she thought about the whole thing.  
“Hurry up!” He heard Scott yell from the treeline, “Before I die of old age!”  
Stiles took a deep breath, more suited for someone who is about to dive off the high board at the swimming pool, and pressed his lips against the cold, hard ones of the statue.  
Of course, nothing happened.  
Stiles shook his head, almost angry at himself for feeling disappointed. He turned back towards Scott, who shrugged, “At least you tried.”  
“Yeah, let’s go home.” Stiles jogged over to where his best friend was standing, and the two of them headed back towards the blue jeep in the parking lot. Neither of them looked back towards the statue, which stood as motionless as ever in the starlight.  
Motionless, until it blinked.


	3. Little Boy Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after you wake up from a hundred year long sleep? Serious confusion.

The morning sunshine shone through the window of Stiles’ room. It hit Scott first, who blinked and sat up, looking over to Stiles’ still-sleeping form in his bed. The thing was, Scott worried about his best friend. It seemed everyone else in the friendship group had paired up over the summer: him and Isaac, Lydia and Alison… Yet Stiles never seemed to find the right girl…or guy. Scott studied his best friend. He was pretty good looking, especially since he’d let his hair grow over the summer. Scott knew he was a great guy, and he was always making people laugh in the halls and helping those who needed it. He was practically a freaking fairytale prince. So where was his princess?  
As if he sensed Scott’s train of thought, Stiles groaned and turned over, dragging his cover over him and promptly falling out of bed. Scott sniggered as he watched his best friend try to untangle himself from the sheet, emitting a few swear words as he did so.  
“Smooth.”  
“Shut up,” Stiles mumbled, eventually working himself out of the sheets and giving Scott the dirtiest look he could muster for the early hour.  
They both looked up at a knock on the door to see Sheriff Stilinski standing in the frame, looking slightly worried.  
“Everything okay, Dad?”  
“Yeah, just got a call about a 311 in the woods.”  
Scott looked quizzically at Stiles who sighed, “It means indecent exposure.”  
“Were you guys planning to go out there today?” The sheriff continued.  
“Yeah, we were gonna go and fix up the rope swing near the river but I’m guessing you think that’s a bad idea?”  
“Give it an hour or so. I’m not sure what to make of this guy. Also, the statue’s missing.”  
“The statue?”  
“You know, the one that’s supposed to be the Hale kid. Your-” He cleared his throat, “You used to read the book when you were younger.”  
“We were only there last night and it was there then,” Stiles shot Scott a confused look, “Right?”  
“Yeah, we were there about ten hours ago,”  
“Why-” The sheriff shook his head, “Never mind. I’ll give you a call when the guy’s off the streets, alright?”  
Both boys nodded mutely until the sheriff had closed the door, muttering something about why young men should keep their clothes on in public. Stiles turned to Scott as soon as the sound of his father’s footsteps had faded, a gobsmacked expression on his face.  
“Oh my god!” Scott whispered, a stunned expression settling onto his face, “OH MY GOD!”  
“Shut up! You really don’t think it was us, do you? It’s just a story and…a coincidence.”  
“Stiles you have got to be kidding me. You kiss the statue and it’s missing the next day? That is NOT a coincidence.” Scott rolled off the camp bed and started pulling his jeans on.  
“What are you doing?”  
“What do you think? We’re going to find Derek Hale.”  
_____  
Derek Hale was lost.  
He was also naked and completely confused. The last thing he remembered was the good witch turning him into stone to await a kiss from his true love. Then there was a blue light and…nothing. He had no idea who had kissed him and he had no way of knowing unless…unless the witch had been right and it would be a reincarnation.  
Suddenly, he heard the sound of heavy boots approaching, and turned around to see a group of men advancing on him. Derek stared at his surroundings helplessly, trying to see an escape route in the thick canopy around him. The woods had changed so much since he’d been in them long ago. Come to think of it, he didn’t know how long ago. And while he considered this, the men were getting closer.  
“Sir?” The man at the front had motioned for the others to stop and was slowly walking forward away from them, towards Derek. His baseball hat, which had ‘Beacon Hills Lacrosse Team’ written across it, was obscuring his face.  
Derek froze, watching as the man came closer. He was very aware of the gun in the man’s holster and the impulse to run away from any type of authority figure was high.  
“Sir? I’m not here to hurt you,” The man had stopped about two feet away from Derek, “We just need you to put some clothes on.”  
Derek didn’t say anything, but studied the man carefully. There was something about him that seemed familiar to him, something he couldn’t quite place.  
“Sir? Can you hear me?” The man took his hat off and Derek had to stifle a gasp.  
It was impossible. Surely it hadn’t been that short a time since he had been turned to stone. The good witch had said he would awake in a better time, and he knew well and good that the time he’d left wasn’t better by any stretch of the imagination. Plus, he was wearing clothes that were…different. A sturdy dark green jacket with a light green shirt underneath. There were pieces of fabric sewn to the arms of the jacket and a gold badge with a word that Derek couldn’t quite read. Something beginning with S?  
The man took a step forward and Derek flinched away involuntarily.  
“I’m not going to hurt you.” The Sheriff shrugged his jacket off, “I just don’t want you to catch your death out here. Now, would you please accompany me back to the sheriff station so we can get you warmed up and on your way?”  
Derek nodded mutely and tentatively took the jacket from the sheriff’s outstretched arm. He placed it around his bare shoulders and began to follow the sheriff back towards the cemetery he’d first woken up in. The man had always been very kind in his past life, so maybe things wouldn’t be so different now.  
_____  
“Does your Dad know you have this?” Scott stared incredulously at the police scanner Stiles was attaching to his jeep’s radio.  
“Oh yeah, I share everything with my Dad. We’re going down to see a speaker talk about how to cope with your best friend being a werewolf this weekend, wanna come?” Stiles rolled his eyes, “Of course not. I got this from EBay like two years ago.”  
“You scare me sometimes, dude.” Scott muttered, watching Stiles turn to knobs and listening for any sign of life among the static.  
“-repeat, male in early twenties has been taken to the station after reports of a 311. Male has no form of ID and seems to be under the influence. Over.”  
Stiles met Scott’s eyes for about a millisecond before the two of them threw their jackets on and headed to Stiles’ jeep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this one (and the nice naked Derek Hale mental images). As far as I know, the police code is correct. I'm off to LeakyCon with my partner in crime (Candles_93) on Wednesday so I won't have a chance to update until next week. Until then, I'll leave you guys in suspense ;)


	4. Claimed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So poor Derek Hale is stuck at the sheriff's station, still not knowing what year it is. STILES AND SCOTT TO THE RESCUE!

“I’m sorry, son, but I just can’t let you go without knowing you have somewhere to stay or someone who knows you. My hands are tied; you get that, right?” Sheriff Stilinski was massaging his temple slowly, trying to get rid of the stress headache that was forming. The young man had been in police custody for just over half an hour and so far, he had said absolutely nothing. Although he seemed harmless enough, the Sheriff couldn’t just let him go without knowing there was someone who cared about him. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d seen the young man somewhere before. Like an itch needing to be scratched, he kept poking at the vague feeling in his mind, trying to coax it into a solid memory.   
Derek watched the older man across the table. The Sheriff had been trying to get him to talk for an hour with no success. It wasn’t that he wanted to upset the man; it was just that he honestly didn’t know the answer to the questions. He didn’t know why he had woken up and he didn’t really think it was socially acceptable to ask what year it was.   
“Sheriff? There’s been a disturbance near the high school again. A teenage boy doing something called…parkour?”  
The Sheriff’s mind briefly went to the usual suspects – one of which involved his son – but he quickly shook it off and picked up his jacket from the back of the other man’s chair.  
“I’m going to have to go now, but my deputy will look after you.” He nodded tightly at the young man before turning and heading for the door, his hand already clasping the car keys in his pocket.  
_____  
Stiles and Scott watched the Sheriff’s car drive away from behind a couple of straggly bushes. When it was out of sight, they both nodded and started towards the entrance to the station.   
“Hey Stiles,” The receptionist smiled at the gangly teenager as he approached the desk, “Your Dad just left.”  
“Yeah? Well, actually we were looking for someone.” The receptionist looked at him quizzically, “Scott’s cousin? Kinda tall with dark hair…possibly naked?”  
The receptionist raised her eyebrows as she look at Scott, who waved sheepishly, “He’s your cousin?”  
“Yeah, he had…um…a bump to the head….amnesia and now, uh, sometimes he just goes out for naked runs in the middle of the night. He’s staying with me and my Mum and, uh, I guess we looked away for a second?” Scott turned his puppy eyes up to their highest level, “He’s probably really scared and stuff, you know? Like everything’s new to him?”  
The receptionist nodded, unable to resist the power of the puppy eyes, “I’ll just call the deputy, we’ve been looking for someone to claim him. And give him clothes.” She smiled and picked up the phone receiver, motioning for the two boys to sit down on the hard plastic seats.  
“That went better than expected,” Scott whispered, watching the receptionist as she put the receiver back into its cradle.  
“He’s not out yet.”  
“So are we going to talk about the fact that you totally kissed the Derek Hale statue and it came to life and is currently sitting your Dad’s workplace?”  
“No, we’re not.”  
“But Stiles-”   
“Just leave it, Scott, okay?” Stiles’ jawline was tight as he stared ahead, not seeing anything but the stone face of the Derek Hale statue. It couldn’t have been him that had woken him up after over a hundred years, could it? Stuff like that just didn’t happen. Then again, stuff like werewolves just didn’t happen…for some people.  
_____  
Derek hadn’t touched the cup of water that had been left for him by the deputy before he had left, saying there was someone at the front desk for him. He didn’t really know if he’d ever be out of here since there was no-one alive that would claim him. He rested his head in his arms and sighed. This definitely wasn’t a better time so far.  
“-as I was saying, deputy, he’s very confused and uh…amnesic? So he might not even remember who I am.”  
Derek lifted his head up as the door opened and the deputy came back through, now with a young guy following him. He was dark hair with olive skin and brown eyes that reminded Derek of the wolf cubs he had often seen playing in the woods.  
“Hey, cousin Derek! I’m so glad I finally found you! I was really scared we’d lost you for a while there,” The boy was staring into his eyes as if he was trying to communicate something but Derek was too confused at how the boy knew his name to respond.  
“Derek, is it?” The deputy leaned down towards Derek, “Do you remember Scott? He’s your cousin and he says you lost your memory.”   
Derek watched the boy called Scott nodding frantically behind him and then nodded at the older man. He looked relieved.  
“Okay, you go along with Scott now and make sure you don’t wander off again, okay? Someone in your condition should be more careful.”  
Derek nodded again and followed Scott out of the room. He kept his eyes down on the floor until they reached the reception and he caught a sudden smell on the air. An extremely familiar smell. The smell of pine trees in summer, of water running through long blades of grass, of honeysuckle in the warm Spring air, of…  
He began to look up, hardly daring to believe it. Could the girl have been right? Could his true love have been reincarnated and brought forward in time so Derek could live freely where nothing mattered except…except their love. But before he could look up properly he was being gently pulled outside.  
“We’ll take him back to the graveyard, no-one’ll be there now.” Scott was saying to the other boy as he led Derek outside.  
“Yeah, sounds like a plan.”  
Even the voice was the same. Derek held his breath and kept his head down, scared he’d give something away like he did last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a horrible person but I'll make it up to y'all in the next chapter. I had an awesome time at LeakyCon, thank you guys for your well wishes. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for the next one!


	5. Loving Him Was Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going back to the nineteenth century again for Derek's first encounter with a certain young man.

(Beacon Hills at the end of the nineteenth century)

_Unlike most of the people who lived in Beacon Hills, Derek Hale wasn’t afraid of the dark. He often snuck out of the Hale mansion at night to be in the forest, where it was quiet and peaceful. He’d always liked animals more than people anyway._  
 _That night, the moon was full, making the greenery glow silver. It was the middle of summer, and the Californian weather had been perfect, as usual. Derek’s father was away overseeing his oil drilling business and his mother had been distracted by his sister’s recent engagement. It was easier than ever to slip out of the house unnoticed and Derek found himself going deeper into the forest than he had gone before. He had just sunk down onto the floor in the middle of a small clearing to catch his breath when he heard a noise from one of the surrounding trees_.  
 _Derek sprang to his feet immediately, looking swiftly around him for the source of the noise. More often than not, he had been disturbed by something only to find it was a rabbit or, occasionally, a deer._  
 _He heard the noise again, this time sounding as though it was coming from far above his head. He squinted up at the treeline, thinking he could make out a silhouette on one of the branches. A human silhouette._  
 _“Who’s there?” He asked, hating the way his voice trembled a bit. He clenched his fists tightly, “Answer me!”_  
 _“No need to be so rude,” A playful (and very male) voice answered, “This is my back garden, after all.”_  
 _“Your…?” Derek studied his surroundings more carefully than he had before. He couldn’t see any sign of a house or even a shack, “Then where is your dwelling?”_  
 _“You misunderstand me. This forest is my home and therefore, all of it is where I live. And I’ll thank you to leave as you are, technically, trespass-”_  
 _The boy’s voice broke off with a sharp intake of breath, followed by a sharp, cracking sound as the branch beneath him started to give way. Derek leapt forward automatically and managed to catch the boy in his arms before he hit the ground. The branch landed underneath the boy’s now suspended body, bits splintering off it and showering both of them with splinters._  
 _Derek tried to catch his breath as he straightened up, his gaze moving down towards the boy in his arms. The hazel orbs that met his made him breathless again, and he struggled to produce words as the boy continued to stare at him, his face steadily turning red as he did so._  
 _“Uh…you can let go of me now,” He whispered, his face having finally turned a deep scarlet colour._  
 _“Yes, um, sorry,” Derek slowly lowered him into a standing position, still unable to take his eyes off him, “Are you alright?”_  
 _“Yes, thanks to you,” The boy smiled tentatively, a bit of the colour fading from his cheeks, “Your reactions are…good.”_  
 _“I play a lot of sports,” Derek returned the smile, “I’m Derek, by the way.”_  
 _“I’m Krasny,” His smile widened as he saw the confused look appear on Derek’s face, “It’s Polish for red. That’s what my father usually calls me, unless he is really angry about something.”_  
 _Derek laughed, “What about your mother?”_  
 _Red’s face suddenly fell and he slumped down onto the grass, bringing his knees up close to his body, “She died when I was ten. It was an…an accident.”_  
 _Derek closed his eyes, unable to believe his own lack of tact, “I’m sorry.”_  
 _The smaller boy shrugged, resting his chin on his knees, “I’ve still got my father so it’s not so bad.”_  
 _Derek lowered himself down on the grass next to the boy, trying not to stare openly at him. He must have been almost eighteen, but still had a very childlike face, with those big eyes and that messy brown hair. His shoulders were broad though, and Derek could see the defined muscles underneath the loose white shirt the boy was wearing. As they sat there in strangely comfortable silence, Derek could feel a sense of fear building up inside him as he continued to gawp at the boy. He was suddenly extremely aware of his heartbeat, of the sweat that was making his shirt cling to him, of the body sitting less than a metre away from him in the grass. Derek leant back until he was lying down in the grass and stared at the stars above, contemplating this new awareness._  
 _“So, why is it that you are walking the woods at this early hour?” Stiles was also lying on his back now, his fingertips just inches away from Derek’s waist._  
 _“Would you believe me if I said I felt like it was my home too? Everything just makes more sense here.”_  
 _Red remained quiet for a moment before looking sideways at Derek, “My father sometimes makes me go into town to do business for him. He’s a woodcutter. And town just…the people there are so wrapped up in each other’s lives that they are not living their own. If people were just allowed to do what they wanted then I think they would be happier.”_  
 _Derek felt a swooping sensation in his stomach as he listened to Red. This boy had – literally – just fallen into his life less than ten minutes ago but it was like he knew exactly what Derek was thinking. And what’s more, he agreed with it. He put the feeling into words._  
 _They had laid there talking for the best part of the early morning, and Derek only realised the time when he saw the pink tinges of sunlight staining the leafy branches above them. He leapt up, startling Red, who was apparently lost in thought._  
 _“I’ve got to go back home,” He told him, brushing the grass off his trousers, “Can we…should…we…”_  
 _“Same time, same place?” Red smiled up at him, the sunlight illuminating his cheekbones in a way that made Derek wish he could stay._  
 _Derek nodded mutely and took off, running through the woods as fast as his legs would carry him, always thinking of the boy he’d left behind in the clearing._  
 _He couldn’t deny it scared him; not the feelings but the consequences. His father would banish him at the very least if he ever found out. But found out what exactly? Derek probed his feelings as he ran, trying to figure out exactly what it was that had caused them. His eyes had kept flickering towards the other boy, and every glance was accompanied by a bombardment of butterflies in his stomach. He had always known there was a reason he hadn’t found the girls his parents kept throwing at him interesting or even attractive. Their persistent giggling and gossiping had annoyed the hell out of Derek but he had assumed it was because he preferred to be on his own. This boy, with his strong but delicate presence, the playful smirk that played on his lips and his casual manner, as if he was completely at ease around Derek. As if there was a connection between them._  
 _Derek sighed as the mansion came into view. What was one more secret to keep? It wasn’t as if his father ever took any interest in Derek’s life anyway._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know we've still not had any Derek/present Stiles action but it's coming so don't worry. Also, the other translation of 'Krasny' is the reason I chose it, so you might want to look that up ;)  
> As usual, please leave kudos and comments because they brighten my little soul. Also, feel free to follow me on tumblr, my username is the same :)  
> Love you guys and hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	6. Falling Slowly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek continues to tell the real story of his past...with a few altered details.

“So what happened next?” Scott probed, staring at Derek, “Did you meet up with her again?”  
Derek hesitated, finding it hard to meet the younger boy’s gaze. They had ended up back in the cemetery, a few metres away from where Derek had stood as a statue for many years. It was still morning and the dew hadn’t quite melted off the blades of grass they were sitting on yet. Derek was wearing a plaid shirt and a pair of jeans that Scott had let him borrow. For some reason, they had been stashed in the groundskeeper’s hut at the entrance to the cemetery, but Derek had decided not to question it. Scott had also pulled out some kind of communication device and talked to it, apparently to someone who also possessed a similar device. So many things were different here.  
Derek had so far learnt that it was the beginning of the twenty-first century, and a lot had changed in the last hundred years. Hardly anything around him seemed familiar, despite the fact he had roamed these parts so often in his past life. Scott and the other boy (Derek hadn’t yet heard his name, the boys generally referred to each other through what he assumed to be nicknames, such as ‘dude’ and ‘man’) had somehow known Derek’s story, although it wasn’t entirely accurate. It told of Red being called Scarlett and being, well, a girl. Still wary of this new time, Derek had agreed to tell his side of the story, but had replaced Red’s name and gender with that of the mysterious Scarlett.  
He still hadn’t managed to properly look at Scott’s friend, the one whose voice and smell were achingly familiar to Derek, so much so that it was taking most of his self-control not to grab the boy and not let him go. To protect him as he failed to protect Red.  
“Derek?” Scott looked concerned, his forehead furrowed as he looked at the older boy. The other boy was sitting further away, his back resting against the plinth on which Derek had previously stood. He had his head resting on his knees and his face was hidden. Derek was hit with another painful pang as he glanced at the boy, whose position was so familiar to Derek, yet completely different. Red had always been so relaxed in Derek’s presence while this boy was tensed, as if he was getting ready to flee. He glanced again at Scott, who smiled reassuringly at him, before continuing the story.

_The following night, Derek had left the mansion as soon as everything had gone quiet. He had jogged through the trees, which now seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. It didn’t take him long to reach the clearing, where Red was already waiting._  
 _The smile Red had given him had made Derek’s chest feel like it was about to explode. He’d sat down next to the still-mysterious boy, even closer than they had been the previous night. And they’d talked._  
 _Red talked for a while about his father’s woodcutting business, and how he had these ideas about how Beacon Hills ought to have been run. He had talked about the corrupt nature of the rich, how the Hales thought they ran the town, and how unjustly the poor were treated. Derek had listened, guilt rising like bile in his throat. It was true that his father’s henchmen intimidated and even disposed of those who said anything against the Hales. The law keepers were all paid off to let his father get away with anything, and he took advantage of this. Rival oil drilling business owners had mysteriously disappeared in the past and he knew his father’s henchmen had something to do with it._  
 _“One day, that man is going to get what’s coming to him,” Red said, “And I hope I’m there to see it.”_  
 _Derek had agreed but still stayed silent, afraid of what Red would say if he knew that he was, in fact, a big part of the corrupt family. They had changed the conversation, moving onto how they wanted to spend their lives. Derek had ambiguously said he had to take over the family business while Red wanted to go travelling, although he had no means to. They had talked about the wonders of the world, astronomy and science until the sun had shown itself above the treeline again, meaning Derek had left, promising to return._  
_____  
 _Derek’s mother couldn’t ignore the dark shadows underneath her eldest son’s eyes, and the way he kept smiling for no reason she could see. She had grown increasingly concerned, unable to act until her husband returned from his business trip. She had a suspicion he was sneaking out at night but could never seem to catch him at it. Even the household staff seemed to be on his side, merely giving vague answers when she questioned them. Thalia just hoped it was to see a girl; she wanted nothing more than to see her son get married and settled down. Laura’s engagement had given Thalia something to do while her husband was away, and both the children engaged would give her two weddings to plan._  
 _Derek continued to sneak out to see Red, oblivious to his mother’s growing concerns. He would return as the sun rose, his cheeks aching from smiling. He never laughed around anyone as much as he did around Red._  
 _But autumn was approaching, and the nights were growing longer and colder. Derek’s father was due to return in less than a week, meaning he would have to start learning the business as he was nearing twenty-one. Derek was retreating to his room and the woods even more, counting down the hours until he could see Red. He had met Red’s father the previous week, and had been surprised by his rough but well-meaning nature. The woodcutter had watched the two boys carefully, picking up on what neither of them had yet realised. Over the summer, they had fallen slowly, and irreversibly, in love._  


Derek had trailed off at this point, staring into the distance. Scott suddenly felt a stab of fear in his chest, realising what was coming next. While Derek had been telling the story, Scott had forgotten that this was real life for the older boy. He almost didn’t want to hear what was coming next, scared of the reaction it would cause.  
Stiles still had his head resting on his knees. He had been quiet through the story, mostly because he was wrestling with some kind of enormous internal panic. Although Stiles knew it to be impossible, it felt as though a huge fist was clasping his heart. A strange craving filled him, and he struggled to fight the urge to reach out to Derek Hale, whose voice trembled every single time he said the name of his true love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, it's certainly getting interesting! As usual leave comments and kudos and warm the cockles of my little heart :)


	7. Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sir Hale returns and Derek fears his father suspects something...

_Derek’s father returned with a flurry of activity in the house. The servants were on their best behaviour and his mother was unusually strict, constantly berating Derek about his appearance. Derek tried to please his mother and was present when the carriage pulled up outside the mansion, his father rolling out with his usual haughty and indifferent demeanour. He had glanced at Derek with his usual dismissive air, but could not fail to notice there was something very different about his eldest son._

_Later that night, after his parents had retired to bed, Derek stood on the servant’s staircase, deliberating whether it would be wise to sneak out tonight. His father had questioned him almost constantly throughout dinner, wanting to know how he had spent his summer, and what he hoped to learn in the next few years. Derek had answered as best he could in a way he knew would please his father, but he was unsure if he had been convinced. He looked far too interested for Derek’s liking._

_He stared out of the small, dirty kitchen window to where he could just see the dark mass of trees on the horizon. Surely his father would be tired after his long journey, and would be asleep almost as soon as he got into bed. With this in mind, Derek quietly lifted the latch on the servant entrance, and began to make his way around the edges of the huge front lawn, keeping to the shadows as best he could._

_He did not know he was being watched._

_____

_Red could tell something was wrong the moment Derek entered their clearing. He was jittery and nervous, and seemed unable to keep still. Red watched his movements patiently, waiting for Derek to tell him what was wrong. After all, Derek told him everything._

Finally, Derek stopped pacing and dropped down onto the leaf covered grass in much the same way he had at their first encounter. His shoulders were shaking and his hands were covering his face. Red hurried to his side, unsure what to do.

_“Derek?”_

_The older boy seemed to collapse into Red, his shoulders coming to rest against Red’s firm chest. The younger boy found his hands were stroking Derek’s hair, although he couldn’t remember making a conscious decision to do so. This behaviour was scaring him; he’d never seen Derek lose control before._

_Derek? P-please…”_

_Derek turned to face him, and Red was glad to see his face was dry. He quickly moved his hands to his lap, cheeks burning._

_“What’s happened?” He whispered._

_shook his head, “My father, I think he suspects that…that I am not fulfilling my duties as I should be. He can’t- he doesn’t know about our...he doesn’t know about us.”_

_“Us?” Red was sure Derek could feel the increased tempo of his heartbeat._

_Derek suddenly sat up, moving his body away from Red’s, “You know…you must know.” He turned to face Red, something new flickering in his eyes, “You must know I love you.”_

_Red stared at him, “You love me?”_

_Derek shook his head, “I know it is forbidden, but I cannot help it. The past two months have been…incredible. If this is not love, then what is?”_

_“I love you too,” Red blurted out, his cheeks burning, “In case you did not know.”_

_Derek smiled, his greyish eyes glinting almost silver. He leaned forward and cupped Red’s face in his hands, “We must keep it secret. If my father found out…”_

_Red grasped Derek’s hands with his own, and rested his forehead on Derek’s, “Then we’re both dead.”_

_The kiss was rough, both boys trying to express what they had been holding back during the past few months. But it was perfect, and they were both gasping when they finally broke apart._

_It was also their last._

______

_Derek had returned home that night in some kind of blissful euphoria. He was full of the confidence that comes after one finds their soul mate, giddy ecstasy eclipsing any previous fear of being caught. He did not believe a love as true as theirs could ever be taken from them and this was the thought that allowed him to leave Red alone in the clearing. He was already forming plans to tell his father that he did not want to shoulder the business, that he wanted to see the world. He fell asleep while still planning, unaware of the tragedies that would befall him the next day._

______

Derek broke off again, apparently unable to continue the story. Scott wasn’t aware that his mouth was hanging open, or that his cheeks were wet, until Derek had stopped talking. He hastily wiped the tears away and closed his mouth and went to sit next to Stiles in order to give Derek some privacy.

Scott knew what had happened next.. He could only imagine the heartbreak and torment Derek had endured and he didn’t want to be the one to make him relive the memories. He finally reached the plinth and settled himself down next to his best friend.

Stiles had continued to be in almost physical agony the whole time Derek was speaking. For some reason, the return of Derek’s father had sent a huge spasm of fear through Stiles’ stomach, despite the fact that Sir Hale had died nearly eighty years ago. And when he had talking about kissing Scarlett for the first time…well, someone shoving a lit firework down Stiles’ throat probably wouldn’t have felt much different.

Stiles felt Scott’s weight against his side as he sat down, but it didn’t seem to register in his brain. He couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Derek Hale, who was sitting with his back to the two boys, staring at the sunset. He could see from the hunched over posture that Derek was probably feeling emotions similar to his own, although he couldn’t have said how he knew this. He just did.

“What do you think?” Scott whispered, apparently oblivious to his best friend’s inner turmoil.

“I…I don’t…” Stiles swallowed, “I don’t want to hear the rest of the story.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmm....so yeah. Sorry :)


	8. Dream a Little Dream of Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles has a weirdly vivid dream.

Melissa McCall was surprised, to say the least, when her son turned up on the doorstep around midnight with a well-built, dark haired man standing nervously behind him. Scott had quickly explained that Derek Hale (why did that name sound familiar?) had nowhere else to go and Melissa had agreed to let him stay. Derek had accepted the clean bedding graciously, complimenting the McCall house with phrases Melissa was sure hadn’t been used in the last fifty years. She had gone to check on him before she went to bed and found him curled into a tiny ball at the end of the bed, like a dog or a cat. 

Oh screw it, she thought, you can stay as long as you want.  
_____

Stiles was dreaming. 

_He was scared. Flashes of fire and angry screaming had woken him up, and he had ran to the window to see over a dozen men surrounding their small cottage. Before he could react, a pair of rough hands were covering his mouth and he was being dragged outside. He caught a glimpse of his father, his hands bounds behind his back and a look of sheer terror on his face._

_“Krasny!” He cried, struggling in vain against his captors, “Krasny, run!”_

_But he had been unable to break free, and was instead pulled away from the house until he could no longer hear his father’s agonised screaming. He closed his eyes, praying to anyone who was listening for them to spare his father’s life._

_The men did not drag him far, and he opened his eyes as he was forced down onto his knees. He looked up to see the barrel of a shotgun pointing at him, and behind it was Sir Hale, his face an ugly, contorted mask of anger._

_“So…” He whispered, “You have used your dark magic to entice my son into believing he loves you.”_

_“Your-?” He gasped, shock filling him like some kind of poisonous gas, “Where is he?” He was shouting now, straining at his bindings._

_“He’s on his way here,” The man smiled cruelly, “He should be here just in time to see you take your final breaths.”_

_“No!” Red had known this was coming since he’d first seen the flames outside his house, but for Derek to see it…_

_He was screaming now, fighting so hard that it was all his captors could do to hold him. He saw a man step out of the trees out of the corner of his eye, saw him nod and heard the gunshot before he could register what had happened._

_Pain flooded through him and he felt the impact of the ground against his face as the men dropped him. He could hear a raw, guttural screaming and could only assume it was coming from his own throat. But it was getting closer and then he felt a different pressure behind him. Warm, shaking arms wrapping themselves around him, pulling him into a familiar smell. Safety. Derek._

_“R-Red…” A gasping sound, “I’m s-so sorry.”_

_He forced his eyes open, trying to focus on the face above his. It had always been difficult looking Derek in the eye but now…now it was necessary._

_“You couldn’t have…”_

_“I should h-have told you,” Derek was clutching at his body desperately now, his nails digging into his back, “I wanted-”_

_“It’s alright, Der.” He tried to shake his head, wincing as the movement sent a spasm of pain up his body, “It’s alright.”_

_He heard Derek gasp, and another bout of pain racked his body. He hardly felt it though, and a sense of relief washed over him as he realised his death would come quickly._

_“It’s alright,” he whispered again, his fingers clutching Derek’s, “It’s…”_

_The last thing he heard was an almost animalistic howl and then darkness finally took him._

_____

Stiles sat bolt upright in bed, his face wet with a combination of sweat and tears and his heart pounding. His hand automatically reached out to the empty space beside him, clenching into a fist when it was met with sheets.

Derek.

His whole body seemed to ache with its need for that sensation that it had just been pulled away from. The dream had been so vivid, he felt as though his skin had been burnt through where Derek had been touching him – Red – in the dream. He turned his bedside light on, promptly knocking over his glass of water as he did. He half expected the monstrous figure of Derek’s father to be standing over him, a gun pointed at his face. Hands shaking, he picked up the now-empty glass and tried to breathe.

So that was how it had happened. Despite hearing the story multiple times during his childhood, Stiles had never imagined how…devastating it must have been. He knew the feeling of watching a person you loved die and it wasn’t something he would have wished upon anyone. It was akin to having your heart ripped out of your chest, every inch of your skin set on fire. And nobody should have to go through it alone.

Stiles was down the stairs and pulling his hoody on before he properly realised where he was going. He quietly closed the front door behind him and unlocked the door of his jeep, looking around him all the while, the ghosts of the dream making him paranoid. One thought ran through his mind.

He had to talk to Derek.  
_____

Derek watched the clouds obscure the almost full moon above him. Somehow, watching the sky had never failed to calm him down. He liked the idea that he wasn’t alone in the universe; that there were other souls like him trying to find their place in the world. Their memories echoed back through the constellations, reminding Derek that everyone lost themselves and other things, but it didn’t mean you couldn’t remember them.

That was how he had found himself back in their place. The clearing in the woods had hardly changed in the past hundred years. Derek supposed it was bound under the same magic that had frozen him in time. Even the branch that Red had fallen from was still broken, shards of wood protruding from the splintered end as if it had only happened yesterday. 

Derek sighed and sat up, massaging the cramp in his neck. While coming to the clearing had done a good job of calming him down, it hadn’t given him any ideas about how to approach the situation with Scott’s friend, who he still didn’t know the name of. He had made his own way home, leaving Derek with Scott who had graciously offered him a place to stay. Scott’s mother had even checked on him as he pretended to sleep, curled up at the end of the spare bed. Derek had left the house shortly after that, letting his feet take him to the familiar place. He had never needed to be closer to Red than now.

Getting to his feet, he moved closer to the tree that Red had fallen out of all those years ago. His hand softly traced the trunk, gliding over the rough bark and knots that he had known so well. He was lost in memories of laughter and sunlight, until suddenly, a voice brought him back to reality.

“Derek?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FEELS. The next chapter is still in the process of being written so it might be a bit longer until my next update.


	9. Run Away This Time Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to leave you guys hanging, but I've been super busy and stressed over the past two weeks. I've finally completed this chapter anyway, so I hope it was worth the extra wait!

Derek turned around, effectively eradicating his neck cramp and probably causing whiplash instead. He was standing there, looking as perfect and…real as he always had.

“I…I wanted to talk to you about R-…about something,” The boy took a hesitant step forward, wrapping his arms around himself, “Is that okay?”

Derek nodded mutely, not trusting his brain to emit the right words. He gestured towards the grass beside him, surprised when the boy sat so close to him. The older boy stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to speak. There was an uneasy feeling in the air, and the urge to reach out and touch the boy’s arm was almost overwhelming.

“I wanted to talk to you about Red,” The boy looked up and fixed his eyes directly upon Derek’s, “And why he got killed.”

“How-?” Derek’s breath caught in his throat, the word coming out with a choke, “How did you-”

“Your true love was…” The boy trailed off, trying to find the right phrase, “Were they really called Scarlett?”

Derek hesitated, trying to avoid the boy’s gaze. He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut, leaving him breathless. How had he been found out?

“No.” He finally whispered, “No…they – he – was called Red.”

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place? No-one cares anymore if you loves girls or…” The boy trailed off as the pieces clicked into place, “You didn’t know if it was okay yet.” 

They both sat in silence as the boy studied him carefully before returning his glance to his knees, “How much of the story was true?”

Derek glanced up, “Most of it.”

The boy now pulled up his knees and rested his head on them, all the while keeping his eyes anywhere but Derek. “I had a dream that I was dragged into this clearing by four men. They tied by hands together and made me kneel down in front of this man. My Dad was tied up too and he was screaming something at me, my name, but I couldn’t escape. The man in front of me held a shotgun to my head and said something about me making his son fall in love with me. I…I closed my eyes but the shot didn’t come. It was like he was waiting for somebody. I’ve never felt so…so scared. Finally a man appeared from the trees and nodded, and the man shot me in the chest.”

He paused for a moment and looked up at Derek, whose eyes were bright with tears. The boy gave a huge shuddering gasp and continued talking; seemingly unaware of the salty drops running down his cheeks.

“The pain was…it was unbearable. Then another person appeared and they held me so carefully and gently and…they were shouting. They called me Red and said they were sorry and…the smell…” He gave another gasp, “He kept telling me he should have told me something, but I said it was alright. I…” He looked up at Derek again, “It was you that was holding me…in the dream, I mean. If it was…” He trailed off again, those unavoidable eyes staring into his.

Derek stayed silent, shock coursing through his body, filling his veins until he couldn’t think straight. He knew the boy was expecting him to say something, contradict him even but Derek was done with lying. With secrecy. 

“You know, they say that birthmarks are the result of a violent death in your past life. Where they are is where you’ve been shot or stabbed or whatever…and if that’s the case…” The boy pulled down the neck of his t-shirt, revealing a chocolate brown circle just above where his heart was, “Well…then my dream is beginning to seem even less like one.”

“I…” Derek’s fingers were reaching out before he could stop himself. The boy didn’t flinch away from him as his fingertips rested on the dark patch of skin. He traced the circle gently with his index finger, no longer caring that the tears were overflowing, staining his cheeks with wet salty lines. “I’m sorry,” He finally managed.

“What happened after I – he – died?” The boy whispered, “You owe me that much.”  
Derek took a deep breath and nodded slowly, “Yes…I do.”

_____

_“BASTARD!” Derek screamed, clutching Red’s limp body closer to his chest as he stared at his father, “HOW COULD YOU?”_

_“It is the LAW,” His father screamed back, “MY law and you will obey it.”_

_Derek shook his head helplessly, realising that arguing back was hopeless. Everything was hopeless._

_“He was using his witchcraft to make you think you were in love with him. To put the devil’s spirit into you. I SAW the two of you, kissing like…” His father paused, apparently speechless with rage, “You are filth, Derek, do you hear me? FILTH.”_

_Derek felt the hands grip his arms, trying to lift him to his feet. Derek’s resistance was proving futile, given that there were about five men holding onto various parts of his limbs. He was slowly getting dragged upwards._

_And then one of the men put his hand on one of Red’s limp arms._

_And Derek exploded._

_That was the only way to describe it. A huge rush of energy seemed to rush through his body, and suddenly he was sprinting away from a pile of unconscious men, Red in his arms and his father’s scream echoing in the woods around him. He ran for miles, barely noticing the trees leaving deep gashes in his arms as he sprinted through._

_Eventually, he reached the heart of the woods, deeper than any human had ever gone. It was a clearing similar to the one that they had just left, the stars glinting overhead like nothing had changed. Derek slowly sank to his knees, gently resting Red’s body in front of him. He was panting like a dog as he finally rolled over onto his back. He shuffled closer to Red’s side, flinching at the difference in their body temperatures. The last thing he noticed was the bright pink tinge to the sky that was creeping over the horizon before he let his exhaustion take over._

_____

_When Derek woke up, it was dark again, indicating that he had slept through the day. The air was cold and he could feel himself shivering. Wrapping his arms around himself, he turned to see that Red was still lying next to him. Derek felt a lump in his throat and turned away quickly, deciding that looking for firewood would be a good idea. He left the small clearing and began a swift jog through the dark trees, picking up small branches as he went._

_Derek was sweating slightly as he re-entered the clearing in the heart of the woods. He dropped the pile of wood down on the grass and felt around on the floor for a stone to make a flint. He had learnt how to make a fire from Red’s father, enjoying the older man’s satisfaction when he produced his first spark. He now wished he had asked the man for hunting advice and survival tips. His stomach was already feeling empty and he couldn’t be sure which plants were edible and which weren’t. The flint eventually emitted a spark onto the dry wood, and with some encouragement from the dry leaves lying around him, Derek managed to get a small fire going, which illuminated the clearing. Derek turned to Red’s body out of habit, wanting to share his triumph with him. His heart almost stopped as he realised Red’s body was no longer there._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN. Where has Red's body gone? And what's Derek going to do now??  
> As always, please leave comments and kudos and I'll try to update next week if I get another chapter written :)


	10. I Won't Stand Losing You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek goes looking for Red's body, but ends up finding more than he expected.

_Derek froze. The clearing was silent. In fact, the wood itself was so quiet that he didn’t know how he could have missed someone entering the clearing in the first place. He had only been gone for five minutes at the most, meaning he had been within hearing distance the whole time. The stone dropped to the floor as he crept back into the shadows of the trees, listening intently the whole time._

_Suddenly, he heard the sound of laughter in the distance. He moved silently towards the source of the noise, thankful for the hours spent walking through the woods. He felt as though he could sense every twig and rustling leaves on the floor, and avoided them all successfully._

_Soon, a small shack appeared in the distance. Smoke was rising out of the chimney and he could see light pouring out of the windows. Derek hesitated, thinking of the stories he had been told as a child, about powerful old hags who ate children for eternal youth. He shook his head, quickly ridding it of the foolish thoughts, before sneaking closer to the dilapidated dwelling._

_He heard the laughter again, though it didn’t sound like it was coming from the house. Derek was in the surrounding treeline now, and could see that the shack was empty, and that the laughter was being carried towards him by the wind. His stomach grumbled as he saw a pantry full of cooked meats and vegetables. He moved closer, and then quickly ran towards the door of the dwelling, his stomach almost moaning in relief as he found it unlocked. He gave the inside a quick sweep to check it was empty before practically diving into the pantry, his fingers grabbing at any food, anything to placate his growling stomach._

_He froze as someone coughed behind him._

_Slowly, Derek turned around, dropping the bread in his hand as he came face to face with one of the ugliest women he had ever seen. She was short and painfully thin, with a wicked grin on her face and evil-looking black eyes. She grabbed Derek’s arm in a surprisingly strong grip for such a reedy woman, and dragged him into the main room, throwing him against one of the wooden beams that ran up towards the ceiling._

_“Sisters!” She shouted, her high voice making every hair on Derek’s body stand up, “We have a visitor!”_

_Derek tried to run, but something was making him unable to move. Looking down, he saw that his hands and feet were bound tightly in rope, trapping him against the wooden beam. He could hear footsteps, and looked up to see two other extraordinarily grotesque women had joined the first one. They were whispered excitedly to themselves, too low for Derek to hear. He took another look around the stone room, and realised he was tied to the middle beam, facing the huge fireplace. He could feel the heat on his face despite the fact that he was more than halfway across the room, indicating that the fire was being readied for food, and Derek didn’t like the way the three women kept glancing towards it._

_“Please!” He croaked, “You have to let me go!”_

_The three women turned to stare at him, each looking outraged at the fact that they had been interrupted. The one who had tied Derek up stepped towards him, and delved her hand in her dirty pocket. Derek flinched, expecting her to bring out a gun. But instead, she produced a dirty rag, and thrust it into his open mouth, effectively silencing any other pleas he could make._

_Derek watched her as she went back to the conference with her sisters then began to glance around the room, looking for an escape. He shuddered in revulsion as he properly took in the decoration of the small shack. Every space of the wall was covered in dismembered wolf heads or wolf pelts. All of them looked as though they had died in immense pain, which the almost-human expressions made even more vivid. Derek felt the bile rising in his throat, and turned away, looking back towards the fire. He wondered if these women were professional hunters, and whether they knew that there hadn’t been wolves in Beacon Hills for a long time._

_“We are missing a great opportunity!” One of the sisters suddenly shrieked, her face turning red with apparent anger, “If we gave the bite to the boy then we could study them in a confined-”_

_The bite? Derek stared from one woman to the other, the feeling of impending doom growing stronger as he saw the feverish look in the shrieking sister’s eyes.  
“It is too dangerous, sister! What if he turned and infected us also?”_

_“We have the necessary spells and weapons at our disposal.” The shrieking sister argued, “I am telling you, this is the perfect opportunity to find their weaknesses, to see their potential. If we were able to raise one to kill others, think what we could achieve.”_

_To Derek’s horror, the other sisters appeared to be nodding in agreement. He began to struggle against his bindings again, desperation eradicating any rational thought he had had previously._

_“Go and get the vile creature then,” The first sister commanded, “Before I change my mind.”_

_The sister who had not spoken scurried upstairs with the excited sister, leaving the thin woman alone with Derek. She leered at him menacingly, standing so close that he could smell the putrid stench coming off her. He turned his head away but she pulled it back, her long fingernails scratching at his cheek._

_“You’re in for a treat,” She hissed, “Shame as well. You are such a handsome boy.”_

_Derek turned, wrenching his face from her grip, trying to ignore the cackle that was rolling from her filthy lips, filling the room. He pulled at his bonds again, but to no avail. Panic began to rise up inside him, making it hard for him to breathe. He thought of Red, and how at least he was not here to see him die. Or…be bitten._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of imagine the women like the witches in Stardust when they're all old and ugly if that helps.


	11. Hungry Like The Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will Derek be bitten? Will he ever see Red again? And just who is this good witch?

_A loud howl suddenly echoed through the shack, making Derek look towards the staircase. It sounded like a wolf, which wasn’t surprising considering the creatures that adorned the stone walls. What shocked Derek was the agony inside the howl; the pain sounded almost human, almost like Derek had when he had ran into the clearing to see…_

_He shook his head, concentrating on his current situation. The door at the top of the stairs was flung open, and the two women appeared, a huge hairy shape between them. It was definitely a wolf, but it was the size of a bear. Derek gasped as he the ease with which the two women were handling to creature, which seemed to be in some kind of trance. It was awake, but heavily sedated, and it was moving as though it was sleepwalking. Suddenly, the two women stopped, seeming to anticipate movement from the beast._

_Derek would have screamed if the rag had not been his mouth. The creature was wrenching its head backwards, and – Derek couldn’t believe it – flicking between forms. One second it was a wolf and the next…a human. An ordinary looking man, with the exception of his blood red eyes. It stopped as suddenly as it had started, but not soon enough to stop Derek’s bile. He retched horribly, bringing up all the food he had managed to consume before. The women gave him another disgusted look before continuing to pull the once-again sedated wolf-man down the staircase. Derek recoiled in horror as the thing came closer. He could smell the raw scent of animal in the air, and his whole body was on high alert. His wrists were already raw from him trying to escape from his bonds._

_“I don’t know why you’re so disgusted, handsome.” The shrieking sister sneered, “This is what you are going to look like in, oh, five minutes?” She smirked at her sisters and pushed the creature nearer to him, whispering in its ear as she did so._

_Then, the three sisters were gone, leaving the creature and Derek alone in the stone room. They suddenly appeared at the top of the staircase in some kind of red glowing orb, and Derek realised they had removed themselves to a safe space. He also realised that the creature was waking up, in its monstrous wolf form. No ounce of humanity was left on its face now as it bore down on Derek, who was still unable to move. He saw the sisters clapping their hands in glee out of the corner of his eye, and then saw the wolf raise its claws into the air, preparing to strike._

_Derek squeezed his eyes shut, blocking it out. He tried to mentally transport himself back to their clearing. The wolf’s growling turned into the sound Red’s stomach grumbling after the huge pie Derek had managed to sneak out of the mansion’s kitchen. The laughter was Red’s gentle chuckle as he lay on the grass, pointing out constellations to Derek. The clapping was the sound of Red’s father’s axe in the distance, chopping up wood to make furniture. Derek smiled, relishing the small moments when he had actually felt happy. When he had been falling in love._

_And then the creature’s claws sunk into the exposed flesh of his arm, and Derek couldn’t think of anything but the agonising pain. The creature was laying into every bit of skin on Derek’s body. He could hear the slow drip of the blood as it hit the stone floor, could feel the intensity of the wolf’s rage as it pierced him. And for a moment, he was the wolf, scratching at the dark haired boy, watching his own blood stain the stone below his feet. Derek could feel all the anger, all the hatred that was not for him, that was for the women above him._

_Derek closed his eyes, letting his mind fog over, begging someone to let him die. And then he would see Red again and…and he could say sorry._

_Suddenly, a blinding white light filled the room. Derek could hear the witches screaming in pain, could smell the burning flesh above him. The wolf had stopped his attack, but when Derek opened his eyes he couldn’t see anything._

_If this was death, then he welcomed it._

_The light faded as quickly as it had come, and the stone room came into focus again. Derek blinked, taking in the absence of the wolf and the women. Another woman was standing in front of him, a kind expression on her face. She was the opposite of the three sisters’ appearance, and her beauty seemed to radiate from her, giving Derek the strength to free himself from his bonds. He fell to his knees immediately, looking down at the stone floor._

_“Boy, why do you cry?” The woman’s hand was on his cheek, lifting his face to meet hers. Her red hair was flowing around her even though there was no wind in the shack, and her face was so lovely that Derek couldn’t bear to meet her gaze. He shook his head and felt her stand up._

_“I know of the unhappiness that has befallen you, and though I know what you would have me do, I’m afraid I cannot take an innocent life such as yours.”_

_“What did they do to me? What was that creature?”_

_“It was a werewolf. A man that can turn into a wolf at will. His bite will turn you also, making you one of his.” The woman tilted her head slightly, “It appears that this wolf had some sense of what he was being made to do as he did not directly bite you.”_

_“What does that mean?” Derek whispered, horrified, “Will I become like that?”_

_She shook her head, “You will not be a full wolf, you will be a kind of half wolf with considerable strength and abilities.” She waved her hand and Derek watched as the scratches on his arms healed almost instantly, leaving dark scars in their place, “This will make you harder to kill.”_

_Derek shook his head again, “I can’t…I cannot go on without…without him. Isn’t there anything you can do?”_

_She frowned, staring at him intently, “Do you know why I was summoned here?”_

_Derek shook his head, still looking at the floor._

_“Because your last thought was that of your true love. But it was not a completely happy thought, for you wished you were able to say you were sorry to him. You were willing to die so that you could see him again. This makes the circumstances different.”_

_“Different?” Derek lifted his head to look at her, “Can you bring him back?”_

_The woman shook her head, “Unfortunately not. I can, however, cast a spell on you which will turn you into stone. You will feel nothing until your true love returns and kisses you on your lips. But be warned, it could be hundreds of years before they appear back on this earth. Is that what you want?”_

_Derek nodded and she extended her hand to him, leading him outside. She then kissed his forehead and instructed him to stand perfectly still._

_“Good luck, Derek Hale. I hope we meet again under more fortunate circumstances.”_

_A soft blue light began to radiate from the woman, blocking out the surrounding woods until all Derek could see was blue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As ever, thank you so much for your comments and kudos, they mean a lot. If you like this story, you can check out my new Christmas themed story 'A Very Teen Wolf Christmas'. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	12. Endings and Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Derek has told Stiles everything...but will he get everything in return?

Derek looked away from the boy, not bothering to blink the tears away. He felt as though a huge weight had been lifted off his chest, finally being able to tell someone everything. The fear, the anger and, most importantly, the truth. It had all rushed out of him with that last sentence, leaving him feeling strangely light, as if he could float off the ground at any given moment.

But something was keeping him safely on the ground.

And it wasn’t gravity.

Derek risked another glance at the boy, and found he was staring back. Green met hazel as the two contemplated each other for a second.

“We were always supposed to find each other,” The boy stated, “It was always supposed to be me and you, fighting the world together. Except now, we don’t have to fight it. It’s okay,” He slowly moved forward, until he was kneeling in front of Derek, his hands grasping Derek’s forearms, “It’s okay.”

And suddenly, Derek saw it all.

Him and Red together, through all the ages. Finding each other over and over again, under different names and circumstances. Soulmates bound together for all eternity. Because they were each other’s gravity. They kept each other tethered to the earth.

Maybe that was why Derek suddenly pulled the younger boy towards him until their lips met. Softly at first, growing more and more intense as Derek’s body just…responded to him in a way he’d never allowed it to before. He was crushing the boy against him, sending waves of lightning through his veins, replacing his blood with white hot energy. Replacing the heart of stone with flesh and blood.

 

_\- Three Weeks Later –_

The sun was setting as the blue jeep pulled up outside the cemetery gates, its headlights illuminating the stone sign. Stiles turned the ignition off almost absent-mindedly, turning to look at his boyfriend sitting in the passenger seat. Derek was staring straight ahead, looking as still as he had when Stiles had first kissed him.

“Derek?” He frowned as his boyfriend flinched, and tried to give him a reassuring smile, “You ready?”

Derek blinked, managing a small nod before hopping out of the jeep and walking around to the front of it. Stiles watched him lean against the bumper for a moment, staring at the huge iron fence. The big stone archway seemed to tower over Derek, and Stiles hurried to unbuckle his seatbelt and join him.

The warm fingers closing around his own seemed to give Derek strength, and he pulled Stiles forward with some determination, through the stone archway and into the graveyard beyond it.

The past few weeks had gone by pretty quickly. Derek had quickly become part of the little pack Stiles liked to call his. He had been quickly reassured of the ‘okayness’ of their relationship after seeing Scott and Isaac making out in the middle of the Beacon Hills Mall. People had completely ignored the pair of them, and they had ignored them right back. Isaac had later explained that they were both ‘caught up in the moment’ and just had to express their love right in the middle of a shopping centre. Stiles had scoffed at this, saying something about them liking to show off. Whatever the reason, Derek now felt safe walking around hand in hand with his true love, and that was all he had wanted in the first place.

Derek had soon discovered that it wasn’t only Stiles and his father that had been reincarnated. The first time he had met Lydia Martin, he had thrown himself to the ground, thanking her. Lydia had been flattered (to say to least) but quickly assured him that she wasn’t a witch, good or bad. She had mentioned something about his abs being magical though, and Derek took that as a compliment, although he wasn’t sure what abs were. 

It had also turned out that Laura Hale was a reincarnated version of his older sister. She had been extremely wary of Derek at first, avoiding him at all costs and shooting distrustful glances at him. It wasn’t until Derek accidentally shifted in front of her, more out of frustration than anything, that she finally accepted him as a member of the family. She then took it upon herself to teach him everything she knew about werewolves, which Stiles was supremely grateful for. He had enough going on in his life without another untrained teen wolf wandering the streets of Beacon Hills.

Everything was pretty good right now. Somehow, Stiles hadn’t realised just how much he – or at least the Red part of him – had ached for Derek. He finally felt like he was where he was meant to be in life, and had the person he was meant to be with. Sure, it was slightly awkward when Derek loudly questioned the fashion taste of some of the local Goths, or nearly knocked an elderly lady out when the loudspeaker at the mall startled him. But then there was the first time he had taken Derek to the cinema, the time he’d showed him an old camera that had been his mother’s, and all the times it had been the two of them sitting on the roof underneath the stars. 

Stiles watched his soulmate walking ahead of him, weaving amongst the gravestones, occasionally pausing to read an inscription or look at a picture. He was gradually slowing down as they got closer to the reason they had come here tonight. And Stiles could see Derek’s shoulders shaking, even in the moonlight.

Eventually, they reached a large mausoleum at the far end of the graveyard. It was huge, overshadowing all the graves around it. A large stone angel loomed over them as they approached the doorway. Derek stopped suddenly making Stiles bump into him. 

“Do you…do you want some time alone?” Stiles put his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder. Derek nodded and he gave it a quick squeeze, “I’ll be right over there.”

Derek nodded again and heard Stiles move off to the patch of graves on the right, the forgotten ones that were crumbling and hadn’t seen a bouquet of flowers for centuries. He took a deep breath and looked up, focusing his eyes on the plaque above the door.

_This mausoleum was built in 1887 by_

_SIR DEREK HALE_

_Born 1844 Died 1897_

_In memory of his wife_

_THALIA HALE_

_Born 1847 Died 1895_

_and his children_

_LAURA HALE (1867 – 1928)_

_and DEREK HALE JUNIOR (1872 – 1894)_

Derek swallowed, trying to ignore his stinging eyes. So they had told everyone he had died. He lifted his hand and traced the date of his mother’s death. Only a year after he disappeared, and his father had died two years later. Had they regretted what had happened to their son or had they died from the shame of having a son who loved a woodcutter’s son? He stepped back, gazing up at the angel, who looked down on him with an expectant stare.

“Hello mother, father; I’ve come to give my last respects. Because, even after everything happened all those years ago, I do still respect you. I respect that you raised me to be more open minded than you, that you wanted the best for me, even if you did go about it in the wrong way. You gave me my freedom and anything else I wanted. And I’m sorry if I disappointed you, but I can’t help who I am. I miss you, mother, every day. And father, I miss the man you used to be. The man who gave me the world, but then took it away from me.” Derek placed his hand on the stone wall briefly, closing his eyes and letting the tears fall for a few seconds before turning away.

“Goodbye.” He whispered, and then he turned his back on his family’s mausoleum, walking back towards where Stiles was standing, a worried expression on his face.  
“You okay?” He asked, as Derek reached him. He gently wiped the tears off Derek’s cheeks with his sleeve, “Do you feel better?”

Derek nodded and reached down to grasp Stiles’ hand, “I had to do it. Put my past behind me, I mean.”

Stiles nodded, “Now we can have our future.”

Derek nodded, a small smile appearing, “Together.”

“Together.” Stiles smiled and they set off back towards the cemetery gates, arms swinging between them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed my first original story. I'm quite proud of it and I'm really grateful that you guys read it, commented on it and subscribed to it. If you liked this, please check out my other stories. Thank you!


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